The Loneliness and the Scream
by Browncoats and Floral Bonnets
Summary: The team is racing against time to save one of their own. Fair warning: Tony's in for a lot of crap. Maybe others. Could be a character death at one point Not sure . Def hurt/comfort, angst. Rated T for language and violence. R&R MUCH appreciated! **Please note** I will be uploading chapters kinda slowly. Mostly to let y'all stew. :
1. Chapter 1

Gibbs walked into the office. "Has anyone seen DiNozzo?" he asked.

McGee didn't look up from his computer. "He hasn't come in yet."

Gibbs shook his head. "This is gonna be the last time he's late. I'll see to that."

So he waited, plotting away. And he waited, and waited, and waited some more. Finally, he got sick of waiting and took out his cell phone, quickly dialing Tony's number. It went straight to voicemail.

"Damn it," he muttered. "McGee!"

"Yeah, boss?"

"Run over to DiNozzo's for me. Just check up on him."

McGee groaned. "Aw, c'mon. You know he won't go for that."

"McGee"

McGee sighed. "Fine, fine. I'm going. But I'm telling him _you_ sent me."

"I wouldn't expect anything different," Gibbs said with a smile.

McGee walked to his car, grumbling to himself. He didn't mind looking out for Tony (even though Tony did), but going to his house seemed a little…much. But Gibbs thought it was a good idea, and Gibbs was boss.

Twenty minutes later, McGee pulled onto Tony's street and rolled up to his house. And knew right away the something was amiss. The door was open, and even through the small gap he could see that stuff had been knocked around. His heart started pounding in his chest as he walked up the steps to his senior partner's house. He pushed the door the rest of the way open.

"Tony?" he called falteringly. He stepped in. Something glass broke under his foot. He continued into the house, the hairs on the back of his neck standing up, worry and fear gnawing away at him. He walked into the kitchen and his heart dropped to the pit of his stomach.

There was a pool of blood on the floor, a trail of crimson leading to the back door. A knife was on the floor, red to the hilt. Dishes was scattered and broken, the clock knocked from the wall.

Tony's phone was on the floor.

"Shit. Tony." He took out his phone and called Gibbs. "Gibbs? You need to come. Now. It looks bad, boss."

XXX

"What the hell are you talking about, McGee?" Gibbs said sharply. "I'm coming."

Ziva looked up, feeling herself grow nervous. "Gibbs? What's going on?"

"Come with me. DiNozzo's in trouble."

Ziva followed him as they walked out to the parking lot. "What do you mean he's in trouble? What does that mean? Gibbs, tell me what's going on."

"I don't know! That's why we're going to his house!"

Ziva swallowed back the lump forming in her throat. "His house is the crime scene. Boss, you don't think…He's not gonna be…He isn't…"

Gibbs shook his head. "No. We're going to find him and bring him home in one piece. Understand?"

"Yes. I understand," Ziva said. _I'm just not sure I believe you._

Gibbs looked at her with a raised eyebrow. "We'll get him, Ziva."

She nodded. "I trust you."


	2. Chapter 2

"Look, Tony. Here's the deal. _I_ don't like it when people get hurt. But Garrett's over there, he does. And he's pretty pissed off since you shoved that knife into his shoulder. If you don't tell me what I need to know, I won't hurt you. But I can't say the same for him."

The man-he said his name was Briggs- had a soft way of speaking that irritated the hell out of Tony, and he fund himself wanting desperately to just punch him in his smug face. But right then, he was tied to a chair in god-knows-where with no way of contacting the outside world and no hope of escape.

"That's bullshit," Tony said. "He'll only hit me if you tell him to. You're the brains, he's the brawn. Mindless muscle."

"Actually, I went to Harvard for two years before I got kicked out when they caught me fighting in an underground venue," Garrett said, casting a dirty look Tony's way and nursing the stab wound on his left shoulder.

"What, like Fight Club? I think you just broke the first two rules there, Tyler Durden."

Briggs smiled. "Yeah, Garrett's quite the fighter. Our very own Cinderella Man. I'm gonna leave you two guys to it, 'kay? Have fun, I'll check in later."

And he left the room. Garrett straightened up.

"You're in for it, boyo. I'm one of those guys that can knock out a man in one hit. But when I was in the Underground, I never did that. You know why? Because I like to make 'em bleed."

Tony just shrugged. "After hearing you referred to as 'Cinderella,' I find myself not very intimidated. Besides, Cinderella went from rags to riches. Kinda seems to me like you went from riches to rags."

Garrett cracked his knuckles and went over to Tony and punched him in the face. Tony's head snaped to the side and blood dribbled from his lip.

"You hit like Cinderella," Tony said, cracking his neck.

The next blow was harder, and Tony could feel his lip start to swell as blood and saliva dripped down his chin. Three, four, five. At some point, Tony lost track as the barrage of punches rained on his face, head, chest. His head was pounding and everything was throbbing and he couldn't see out of his left eye and it hurt to breathe. He sort of wished he could just stop breathing.

Garrett finally stopped, his knuckles split and bruised, his chest heaving. He looked at his handiwork with an air of distaste and then left the room, muttering about jarring his shoulder.

Briggs came in, dragging a chair with him. He set it in front of Tony and sat in it, putting his elbows on his knees, his hands clasped in front of him.

"Damn, kid. He really did a number on you. You look like shit."

Tony spit at him, though it was more blood than spit. "I'm gonna kick your candy ass," Tony said, his words somewhat slurred..

Briggs shook his head. "Tony, Tony, Tony. Listen to me. You can make this stop. Just say the word-well, words-and it will all be over and you can leave."

Tony was defiant, his jaw set, a fiery hate burning in his eyes. "Go to hell."

Briggs sighed. "_Tony_! Come _on_! I mean, just look at you. You really want to go through that again?"

"Bite me," Tony said.

Briggs stood. "We're going to get what we need, DiNozzo. No matter what it takes."


	3. Chapter 3

Anthony DiNozzo Senior sat on the subway, looking lonely and pathetic. His suit was wet, his hair dripping. He had dumped his phone and car, and now he had nothing but his wallet and a small suitcase with a few changes of clothes and a gun.

He was jumpy and nervous, his eyes flicking from passenger to passenger. He was hoping that he wouldn't need to use the gun, that he could just disappear in peace.

The subway slid to a stop and he stood and made his way off. A few other people followed. As he stepped into the station, he looked around and started weaving through the crowd, glancing over his shoulder.

He most definitely had a tail.

He sped up and pushed his way through the thick throng of bodies. The man following him wasn't subtle. Which meant there wasn't much choice but to make a break for it.

He broke into a jog (which was hard in the crowded underground), and sprinted up the stairs, looking over his should to see his follower's progress.

He broke out onto the sidewalk and ran.

The man was faster.

He grabbed Anthony's shoulder. Anthony turned and smashed his suitcase into the man's face.

The man fell to the sidewalk, grabbing Anthony's jacket as he did. Anthony lifted his suitcase again.

"Wait!" the man cried, holding his arm defensively in front of his face. "Hold it! Anthony, it's me!"

Anthony lowered the suitcase, ignoring the stares from people. "Oh. Damn. Sorry, Tim." He reached out a hand, and McGee took it. They started walking.

"What the hell was that all about?" McGee asked. His nose was bleeding and swollen, and he looked more than a little angry.

"I'm just nervous, that's all. So when I saw a mysterious man tailing me, well, I defended myself."

McGee shook his head. "Don't lie to me Anthony. I know all about why you're so paranoid."

"Cautious, not paranoid," Anthony corrected.

McGee exhaled loudly. "We need your help to find Matheson."

"Why? What's so important about Matheson? I'm not stopping. I need to get out of here."

"We'll put you in a witness protection program."

"You said you knew why I was so paranoid. So you know that wouldn't do me much good. Just save your breath and go."

McGee sighed. "They have Tony."

Anthony froze. "They _what_?"

"I'm sorry, Anthony. But if we're going to get him out of their alive, we need your help finding Matheson."

Anthony paused a moment, shook his head a little. "I can't-I can't." He continued walking.

McGee was enraged. He grabbed Anthony's shoulder. "Damn it, he is your son! You're his father! Now-and I know it's against your nature-quit being a selfish bastard and come in and help us find him!"

Anthony's face broke. It shattered. But he didn't give in. "Just go."

McGee stopped walking, staring after him as he melted into the crowd. "Son of a bitch," he muttered.


	4. Chapter 4

Tony knew he should try to stay awake. He should try to find a way to escape. But he didn't really care. At least when he was unconscious it didn't hurt.

The door burst open and Briggs stormed in. He kicked the chair and Tony over. Tony groaned.

"I! Am tired of waiting! Tell me where he is!" Briggs shouted.

"I don't know where he is," Tony mumbled from the floor.

"That's bullshit!" Briggs said, giving Tony a swift kick.

Tony twisted his head around to look at Briggs. "I'm not lying to you. Anthony and I have never been close. I haven't seen him in…a long time. Besides, he doesn't give a rat's ass about me. You're not gonna get your money from him."

"We won't get the money from him, huh? He owes me _two-million_ dollars. Now, I don't care who gives me the money, as long as I get it back, and as long as DiNozzo Senior knows never to cross me again."

He took out his phone.

"What are you doing?" Tony asked.

Briggs held up his finger. "Shh. I'm on the phone," he whispered. "Hi. Is this Timothy McGee? Hi. If you ever want to see your senior partner again, you'll deliver me two million dollars cash and DiNozzo the Senior. Is he alive? Yes, he's alive. Here" He held the phone near Tony. "Say hi!"

"McGee, don't do it! Don't do this, okay?" Tony cried desperately.

Briggs snatched the phone back. "See? He's fine! More proof? Fine, I'll figure out something. Okay, I have to be going. I'll tell you where to meet me and when." He hung up the phone and dropped it on the ground and smashed it under the heel of his shoes.

"You better hope they care about you enough to get me my money back. Because I am getting impatient. And tired of keeping you here."

"I'm a pleasure to be around," Tony said from the floor.

Briggs sneered and kicked him in the gut. Tony made a small sound and coughed.

"What happened to you not liking to hurt people?"

"I lied." He set the chair upright and sighed. "I will be _right_ back."

"I'll be here."

Tony's head felt heavy and his eyes felt heavy and his heart felt heavy. He sighed and closed his eyes, his head falling forward

"Hey, wake up Sleeping Beauty!" a voice called, followed by a slap. Tony opened his eyes with some difficulty. Briggs untied one of Tony's hands and handed him a newspaper. "Today's front page," he explained. "Say cheese!" he snapped a picture with his phone. He looked at it then looked at Tony with a frown. "You don't look very happy. That'll have to do though."

Tony didn't resist as Briggs tied his wrist back to the arm of the chair. He didn't have the energy. His eyes closed again, and this time a slap didn't wake him up.


	5. Chapter 5

Gibbs looked up as McGee walked in.

"What the hell happened to you?"

"You should see the other guy," Tim muttered.

Gibbs raised an eyebrow. "McGee…"

"Really. The other guy. He's handcuffed in the backseat." McGee spoke rather matter-of-factly.

Gibbs stiffened. "What the hell did you do?"

Tim's hands were clenched, his face uncharacteristically hard. "I brought in Anthony Senior.'

"Ziva," Gibbs said, his eyes fixed on McGee.

'Yeah, Boss?" Ziva said, her voice pinched. She had been watching in worried silence.

"Go get Anthony and bring him in here."

Ziva nodded and went out the door.

"Tim, we need to talk." Gibbs nodded toward an empty office.

McGee shook his head stubbornly. "Anything you need to say you can say here."

"Fine. You're being rash, irresponsible, and hardheaded. All of us have our emotions in this one but you're…out of control."

"Out of-out of control?" McGee said in disbelief.

"McGee-"

McGee exploded. "Damn right I'm out of control! Tony is in trouble because Anthony is an idiot!"

"_McGee_, that's-"

"Who's side are you _on_? I don't see why we don't just hand the bastard over! He is _nothing_ but trouble and he would rather save his own pathetic ass than his son!"

"Timothy! Enough!" Gibbs shouted.

McGee looked behind him. Ziva and a slightly battered Anthony were in the doorway, Anthony's face a mixture of anger and pain and shame.

"Go home."

"You can't," McGee protested.

Gibbs shook his head firmly. "Go! I'll tell you when we've got something."

McGee turned without another word. As he neared the door, his phone vibrated and he took it out of his pocket and opened the message. "Boss."

"What did I say?" Gibbs said in a warning tone.

McGee was already walking to him. "You need to see this." He handed the phone to Gibbs.

"Shit."

It was a picture of Tony with that day's newspaper, broken and bleeding. His face grew dark and he grabbed Anthony by the shoulder and started dragging him down the hall.

"Hey! What the hell?" Anthony cried. Gibbs ignored him and shoved him into an interrogation room, slamming the door shut behind him. He grabbed the front of Anthony's shirt and pushed him up against the wall.

"Tell me what you know, NOW!" Gibbs shouted, his face contorted in fury. "Garrett Matheson. Where is he?"

"I don't know."

"Don't lie to me! Tell me where he is!"

"I don't know!"

Gibbs stepped back, turned around, ran his fingers through his hair. In one swift movement, he turned back around and punched a hole in the wall just to the right of Anthony's head.

"Whoa! Whoa!" Anthony cried, ducking to the left, shielding his head with his arms.

"Here's the thing, Anthony. I don't give a shit about you. I'd rather just let you fight your battles yourself. But Tony's life is in the balance, and right now, you are all we have. Do you know what that means? It means I will do whatever it takes –_whatever _it takes- to find Matheson and to bring Tony home. You understand me?"

Anthony laughed. "You can't touch me, Gibbs. Not without putting your job at risk."

Gibbs' jaw clenched and he punched Anthony in the face. "You know what? I'm just going to spell it out for you, you selfish son of a bitch. If you don't give us anything, you're useless. And Matheson and Briggs will get an anonymous tip and find you tied up somewhere inconspicuous and no one will ever hear from you ever again." Gibbs' voice was low, dangerous.

"Are you threatening me, Mister Gibbs?" Anthony said.

"Interpret it how you will," Gibbs answered coldly.

Anthony sighed. "Fine. Fine. I was telling the truth when I said I didn't know where Matheson is. You mentioned Matheson and Briggs. But there's a third."

"A third?"

"A third man. Alex Felding. He crunches the numbers and cleans the money. He isn't one of the sharks-he's more like one of those little sucker fish that rides along and doesn't get eaten. He might be able to tell you where Tony is."

"If you're lying to me, Anthony, there is nothing on this planet that will keep me from raining hell on you."

"I got it, I got it. Can I go now?"

"Yeah, but you're going to a safe house where you'll be locked down until this is over. And I have one more question: What the hell did you need two million dollars for?"

Anthony shrugged. "I was more afraid of the underground gambling ring than the loan sharks. Looks like one was just as bad as the other."

Gibbs shook his head. "You are one selfish bastard," he muttered.

XXX

"Damn. They kidnapped his son? I didn't sign up for this. I didn't sign up for any of this shit. Look, I have a pretty good idea where he is. But you need to be careful. Briggs is crazy. Got an itchy trigger finger. And Matheson is pretty much fearless-"

Gibbs held up his hand. "Spare me your advice. That's my area of expertise. Just tell me where they're keeping him."

Felding took a deep breath and let it out slowly. "Okay. But I want safety."

"We can do that."

"Alright."


	6. Chapter 6

Tony's senses came back to him slowly, one at a time.

His whole body ached. It hurt to breathe. It hurt to be. His head was being held up by the hair.

Next was the yelling. A familiar voice, one he hadn't heard in a while that he couldn't quite place.

Then, the cold against his temple. A gun?

It took all of his willpower to open his eyes.

"Briggs, this is your last warning! Drop the weapon _now_!" Gibbs shouted. Briggs didn't. Gibbs aimed and fired.

Briggs cried out and fell to the ground, holding his side. Gibbs ran forward, kicking Briggs' gun away from him and kneeling down next to Tony, untying his hands.

"Hey DiNozzo," he said gently.

Tony smiled weakly. "Hey, Boss. Sorry I…I shoulda had my gun on me. They kin'a…kin'a took me by surprise." He winced, and his head eyes shut, his head lolling forward.

Gibbs took his face in his hands and patted it gently. "Hey, Tony. Tony. Stay with me now, okay? You've got to stay with me." He bent down and draped Tony's arm over his shoulders, lifting him to his feet.

Tony's knees gave way and Gibbs almost buckled under the dead weight. "McGee!" he shouted. "I've got Tony! We're coming out." He looked at Tony, whose face was a mixture of pain and shame. "You got it? You got it. Come one." He grunted and they started toward the door, slowly and painstakingly.

"'M sorry. Makin this a lot harder than…than should be," Tony gasped.

"Stop talking," Gibbs commanded. They took a few more steps.

Tony looked back.

Briggs was propped up on one elbow, a gun in his hand pointed at Gibbs.

"Gibbs!" Tony cried, using the last of his strength to push Gibbs through the door.

The shot rang out.

Gibbs stared in disbelief as Tony fell to the ground. Shaken from his temporary stupor, he pulled out his gun and shot Briggs in the forehead, then collapsed next to Tony. He was still alive, but Gibbs wasn't sure how long that would last. McGee ran in after hearing the gunshots and froze when he saw Tony lying on the ground, blood blooming across his chest.

"Gibbs. Is he…Shit, he's not-"

"No, he's alive! Where the hell is that ambulance?"

"It's coming-shit! Tony! Shit!" He ran his fingers through his hair and looked into the room. "Briggs. Is he dead?"

"Yeah, Briggs is dead. Where's Garrett?"

"Ziva took him in." He looked anxiously at his watch when he heard the sirens. "Oh, thank God. They're coming, Gibbs. They're coming." He looked down at Tony, who was completely still. "Gibbs…"

Gibbs looked back at Tony and put his fingers to Tony's throat, feeling for a pulse. He looked up at McGee.

"No…" McGee said.

Gibbs looked up at him and shook his head.


	7. Chapter 7

McGee sighed and looked in the mirror, combing his hair and straightening his black tie. He attempted a smile, but it was impossible, so he gave up. He went to the car and sat in the seat, his hands on the steering wheel. He took a few minutes to steel himself, and then pulled out of his drive.

He reached the familiar building and got out. He walked in slowly, taking his time.

"Tim McGee?" one of the workers asked. Tim nodded. "He's in 208. Go ahead and have some time with him."

McGee thanked her and walked quietly to 208.

Tony was lying still, his face gray. McGee looked at his cold body and felt a swell of emotion overtake him. He sat in a plastic chair and folded his hands in front of him and hung his head.

"Tim. You look like you're dressed for a funeral."

McGee looked up, and his face cracked with a grin, the first real smile he'd managed in weeks. "Tony! They told me you probably wouldn't wake up for a few hours, but I wanted to see you."

Tony smiled, a little weakly. "Well, it's good to see you. Is it cold in here to you? I always did hate hospitals."

McGee laughed. Just like his senior partner to start complaining right off the bat. "How're you feeling?"

"Honestly? I just want to get out of here, but-" He looked down at his chest. "-I still have some healing to do."

"Yeah, you cut it pretty close on this one, DiNozzo."

Tony shrugged. "What can I say? I'm like a cat; I have nine lives. What _is_ with the outfit, though? Seriously!"

Tim looked down at his suit. "What? A guy can't dress up once in a while?"

"And wear a black tie? No. It makes you look like you're in mourning."

McGee shook his head. "And to think I missed hearing your voice," he muttered.

Tony raised an eyebrow. "Did you? Wow, Tim, I'm flattered."

McGee rolled his eyes. "Even a bullet to the chest couldn't dampen that ego of yours."

The door of the hospital room opened, and Gibbs came into the room. He saw Tony and smiled. "Good to see you awake again, DiNozzo." He nodded at Tim. "McGee."

Tony smiled. "What, no flowers?"

Abby pushed into the room. "I have flowers!" she cried. She rushed to put them by his bed and then gave Tony a hug.

Tony grunted in pain and Abby pulled back, horrified. "Oh! Oh! I'm so sorry! I didn't mean-"

Tony held up a hand and laughed tightly. "Naw. It's okay, don't worry about it."

Gibbs sat beside McGee as Abby pulled his chair up to her bedside and chattered happily about God-knows-what. Tony smiled and nodded politely, casting a desperate look at Gibbs, who just smirked and shrugged.

Finally, Abby ran out of things to say and left, and Tony closed his eyes with a sigh.

"You look pretty tired. I'm gonna go," Gibbs said, standing.

"Be back tomorrow, or I'll die of boredom," Tony said. "And bring me a burger or something. Hospital food sucks."

Gibbs smiled. "I'll see what I can do."

McGee stood, too. "I'd better get going, too," he said. "I'll come again soon, though."

Tony nodded. "See ya, Tim."

The two filed out, and Tony was alone again. He closed his eyes. There was a small tap on the door and he opened them again.

Ziva entered the room and sat in the chair by his bed. "Hey," she said.

"Hi."

"You look like hell."

"Thanks. Good to see you, too," Tony said. He looked over at Ziva and was surprised to see she had tears in her eyes. "Hey, hey. What's up?" he asked.

She sniffled and rubbed furiously at her eyes. "Nothing! I am absolutely fine," she insisted.

"Ziva."

"You almost _died_, Tony."

"Yeah, _almost_. But I didn't. It's okay."

"No, it _isn't_ okay. What if next time, they aren't after your father, they're after you? What if next time, we can't find you in time? What if-"

"What if the sky falls?" Tony interrupted. "If you always think up possible terrible things that could maybe happen at some point in time, you'll forget to appreciate the good things that _do_ happen. Ziva, I'm alive. You're alive. Embrace life!"

Ziva nodded. "I guess you're right."

"Of course I'm right." He winced. "I'm also in pain." And hit the button that would pump pain meds into his blood. He sighed a little in relief and his eyes slipped shut as the drugs went through him.

When Ziva was sure he was out, she kissed him gently on the cheek and laid her head on his shoulder. She thought about what he'd said, and though she would never admit it, he was right. He was alive, She was alive. It was time to embrace it.

XXX

"Ziva?"

Ziva awoke and snapped her head up. Tony was looking at her with a bemused expression.

"I think you fell asleep, there Probie."

Ziva's face burned and she stood up quickly. "I have to go. I'll come by again sometime," she said quickly.

Tony laughed. "Okay. Make sure you get a good night's sleep before you come, though."

Ziva shook her head as she walked out of the door. Maybe she'd embrace it sometime. But now was obviously not the right time.


End file.
